Where did you live previously? Brussels and Stroud. I have lived in the South West most of my life and grew up in Bath.

What do you do for a living? I’m a member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing Bristol and the South West.

Political career: I joined the Green party in 1988 and have stood for election at all levels. In 2011 I was elected as a councillor for Stroud district council where I led the Green group and was chair of the audit committee. In 2014 I was elected as the South West’s first Green MEP. In the European Parliament, I’m a member of the Economics and Monetary Policy Committee, the inquiry committee into tax avoidance, the Agriculture Committee, and I’m on the delegation to Latin America. In the European Parliament I’ve fought for a fair economy, and to protect the NHS from damaging trade deals, and against Brexit.

What other interests do you have? Being in the countryside, chair making, swimming, singing, watching cop dramas.

Why do you want to be elected as an MP? I’m currently your MEP, and I have fought hard for justice and environmental rights in the European Parliament. When I stand up to speak, I’m not tied to vested interests or to the party line. Bristol West is a special place and it needs an independent politics to represent it. As your MP, I will be free to speak out for you, for Bristol, and for what I believe in.

Why do you think you would be a success at the job? I have a track record of being effective at getting things done, rather than just talking about them. In Europe I’ve achieved a lot, including: working with other MEPs to stop TTIP – a trade treaty that would have damaged the NHS; passing legislation to close corporate tax loopholes; helping extend the ban on pesticides that kill bees; pressuring the government into accepting more child refugees; and successfully lobbying the EU Commission for a VAT exemption for small businesses.

I’m qualified and experienced. I studied PPE at Oxford, and went on to be a published professor of Economics. I understand why neoliberalism is damaging Bristol and our society, and this has led me to become into active politics to bring about fundamental change.

What would your main aims be during your term of office? I would work hard to provide an independent voice for Bristol on a national stage as a priority. In addition:

· Stopping the Tories turning the UK into a tax haven.

· Working for an NHS reinstatement bill to stop privatisation in the NHS.

· Ensuring the British people have another chance to accept or reject Brexit once a deal has been reached

· Stopping the Tories using Brexit to light a bonfire of regulation on human rights and the environment.

Read More

General Election constituencies

What would you like to say to the voters? As a ground-breaking city on so many levels, Bristol is seeking a different kind of politics. With the Green Party, this is possible. From real action on climate change to affordable homes and living rents, from well-paid, low carbon jobs to public ownership of our NHS, transport and schools - the Green Party represents a radically different future.

I’m currently your MEP, and I have fought hard for justice and environmental rights in the European Parliament. As your MP, I would be an effective and forward-thinking advocate for Bristol.

Our health service is in crisis. All the major parties have failed to invest and wasted time and money on repeated reorganisation. The hidden agenda has always been privatisation. Only the Green Party has not colluded in the dismantling of our NHS and I am committed to reversing the privatisation that is taking it down.

The Green Party has also made the clearest and strongest pledge on the Brexit. By voting in such large numbers to trigger Article 50 without fighting for conditions, Labour MPs have handed Theresa May a blank cheque for a hard Brexit. I would work to protect freedom of movement, to stay in the single market, and will oppose the Tory bonfire of legislation on human rights and environment that Theresa May is planning.

Brexit is not inevitable and I still believe we are better off in the EU. The referendum should be the start, not the end, of the democratic process. That's why Greens are demanding people have a say on the final Brexit deal in a ratification referendum – with the choice to remain in the EU.

Bristol is a forward-thinking city. I believe the Greens represent the hopeful, creative politics that our city deserves. Please vote Green on 8th June for a future to believe in.